I used to be a plant killer. Not intentionally, I just had a seriously black thumb for some reason. Shortly after we moved to Vermont though, Gabe's mom gave me a clipping from a Christmas Cactus, which has now become this great big plant that hangs over my kitchen sink, and blooms year round.
Last summer, I tried a tomato plant - my first foray into edible gardening. Last year was also the year of the tomato blight. Need I say more? It was very discouraging.
I decided to try again this year though, and to do it from the beginning, starting my own seeds and everything.
Top to Bottom: Cucumbers, Peas, Banana Peppers and Cherry Tomatoes. I garnered some information from the lovely internet to get me started - planting multiple seeds in each "cell" and thinning when you replant, keeping the soil moist and warm, and somewhere sunny. This is the amazing "greenhouse" I concocted:
Clear Rubbermaid storage container that we had in the basement, plus saran wrap and duct tape. Plus an un-pictured spray bottle to keep it all moist.
Amazingly, it all seems to be working pretty well! The cucumbers especially are coming up gangbusters. The top picture was taken 2 days after I planted the seeds, and you can already see sprouts. They're doing even better now, the only thing that hasn't sprouted are the banana peppers - maybe it's not warm enough for them?
So far, this whole venture has cost me about $7 for the seeds. Everything else was stuff we had around the house (even the dirt was left over MooDoo from last year). I plan on replanting into recycled containers (milk jugs, juice bottles, etc.), so other than needing more dirt, the future expenses should be limited. This coupled with our
CSA membership this year should keep us well fed for the summer. :)
